Thursday, August 03, 2017

The Wisest Man in the World Concluded....

I have a lot of work to do today. Just like all of us, there are ebbs and flows to our work…. and right now is a very busy time.

I like to work, in fact, my husband will tell you that I like working too much. But there are times when even I can get weary.

But here is what Solomon concludes in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 (Yes, you guessed it, the Message).

So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot.

Because I am a preacher, I can see three lessons in this simple verse:

1) When you are choosing your job, pick well. My friend Micheal, who calls me pumpkin (I know, Inappropriate, right) taught me something valuable here. He says that he used to give career advice to college students and tell them that if they wanted meaningful work they should find something that makes them angry and then find a way to get paid for fixing it. That's good advice. Or, if you aren't angry about anything, pick something you enjoy.

2) Find ways to make your work meaningful and enjoyable. If you are working for an organization that has a mission you are passionate about, it isn't hard to make work meaningful. All you gotta do is remember the mission. But if you have a job that is more routine, there are ways to make that enjoyable as well. I have a long history of doing this since my first job as a part time secretary when I was 16. I had an envelope in my drawer called the "secretarial olympics" where I kept stats of how fast I could stuff envelopes, put labels on envelopes, type up case notes .... and then I tried to break my record. Keep yourself motivated with little tricks that make things more fun.

3) Enjoy the people you work with. Find things to like about them. Do things with them socially to strengthen the relationship. It's way fun to go to work if you are excited to see the people you work with.

There's nothing better for you to do than to enjoy your work. Think about it.